


Antivan Chocolates

by kamaevis



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-26 20:20:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6254476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kamaevis/pseuds/kamaevis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cassandra is sure that her impulsive decision to buy Josephine expensive Antivan chocolates was a mistake; Josephine disagrees.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Antivan Chocolates

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sweettasteofbitter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweettasteofbitter/gifts).



The candies had been an impulsive purchase that Cassandra is regretting more and more the closer she gets to Josephine’s office. She doesn’t actually know what they are beyond _chocolate_ and _Antivan,_ and she has no idea if Josephine will actually like anything about them beyond the sentiment they carry.

But they were pretty things, little truffles colored in swirling shades of blue, decorated with sugar rocks that catch the light and shimmer like the ocean in the early morning. Cassandra had spied them while wandering the Val Royeaux marketplace in search of some way to occupy her time while the Inquisitor was off meeting some noble or another about Inquisition matters. She’d been sure, then, that Josephine would be delighted to receive them, and had made a blundering, flustered fool of herself while buying them, much to the amusement of the round faced Antivan woman who’d been selling them. The entire ride back to Skyhold, the Inquisitor had needled her over what, exactly, had her in such high spirits that she was, _“Grinning like a Mabari at meal time.”_

But here, now, standing outside the door to Josephine’s office with the dainty chocolates cradled delicately in her hands, she’s far less certain. She knows, of course, that Josephine loves sweets, it’s common knowledge amongst everyone who has ever taken the time to speak to her with any regularity, but will she like these sweets, in particular? Will she take offense at the notion that she should enjoy any food labelled Antivan simply because it’s her home country? Will she find Cassandra's advances too forward and presumptuous? The more Cassandra thinks about it, the surer she is that this whole thing was a big mistake.

She’s about to turn around and flee to her quarters, maybe pawn the chocolates off on some unsuspecting soldier and pretend she’d never seen them in her life, when the door swings open and Josephine is standing in front of her, beside a tall woman with an Orlesian masked perched upon her nose.

“Oh!” Josephine startles a bit, eyebrows raising at the sight of Cassandra skulking outside her door, “Seeker Pentaghast, I wasn’t expecting you! Is there something I can help you with?”

“Ah, no, I-” Cassandra finds herself suddenly at a loss for words. Her eyes drop to the candies in her hand then back to Josephine, whose expression appears to be edging into concern, “I simply-” She cuts herself off, unsure how to continue, and fixes her eyes on the blighted candies that got her into this mess.

Josephine looks perplexed a moment longer before realizing that Cassandra isn’t going to continue her explanation. Her gaze follows Cassandra’s, and when she sees the little bag of chocolates her eyes widen a fraction and the corners of her lips turn up just enough that the movement catches Cassandra’s eye.

“Um,” Josephine falters only for a second before remembering that she still has company, though she can't quite seem to keep the smile off her face, “I was just escorting Madame DeRosier back to her quarters, if you could wait just a few moments?”

The woman, Madame DeRosier, snorts at that, a surprisingly undignified sound coming from Orlesian nobility, “Nonsense, Madame Ambassador,” She says, “The Lady Seeker’s business _must_ be of utmost importance. I can find my own way back to my quarters.”

“Madame, you needn’t-”

Madame DeRosier waves her hand through the air dismissively, already moving past her and toward the Great Hall, "You can make it up to me later, dear. Perhaps with some of that Rivaini coffee you've been hoarding away." 

She nods to Cassandra as she passes and offers a sly wink and a private smile, and, Maker's mercy, Cassandra must learn to be less painfully obvious in her romantic endeavors.

Once she's gone, Cassandra looks back at Josephine, who's smiling warmly after the woman.

"She's been looking for an excuse to get her hands on that coffee for months," She explains with more fondness in her voice than Cassandra's heard since Yvette's last visit.

"She was certainly...gracious," Cassandra's not entirely sure that's the word she's looking for, but there are many nobles who would've taken Cassandra's untimely arrival as an excuse to demand more than just coffee from the Ambassador. That the Madame DeRosier didn't so much as bat an eyelash and even went so far as to excuse herself was particularly surreal.

Josephine laughs, "Madame DeRosier is an old friend. We attended finishing school together in Val Royeaux. Now," Her eyes drop back down to the bag in Cassandra's hands with a delighted smile, "What can I do for you, Cassandra?"

Josephine steps to the side and motions for Cassandra to come in. Cassandra hesitates only for a moment before following on wobbly knees, every doubt that had been circling her mind since her ill thought out purchase suddenly making itself known once again. Josephine crosses the room and sits on the sofa in front of the fireplace, patting the cushion beside her with another smile in Cassandra's direction. Cassandra sits stiffly, and Josephine folds her hands on her lap as she waits. 

"Ah, um," Cassandra knows her face must be turning several unflattering shades of red by now, "I- the Inquisitor was in Val Royeaux for political meetings, as I'm sure you know. I accompanied her for protection's sake, but I had no place at the meetings proper due to my, um-"

"Utter lack of social graces?" Josephine asks, but with the smile in her voice and the amused sparkle in her eye, the comment has no heat.

The teasing isn't unfamiliar or uncalled for, but Cassandra finds herself sputtering nonetheless, "Yes, yes, that," She says quickly and wishes she was anywhere but here, "Regardless, I found myself with little to do to occupy my time aside from wandering the markets. I found an Antivan woman selling sweets and I thought-"

Her heart is pounding now, and her face is flushed, hands and voice trembling just a bit as she finishes, "I thought perhaps you might like some."

She offers the bag a little too forcefully, jutting it out between them like she was thrusting a sword. Josephine is mystifyingly unaffected by Cassandra's awkward gestures, grinning wider still as she reaches out to take them; her own cheeks start to color at the brief brushing of their fingers. She studies the chocolates with rapt attention, lifting them close to her face and turning them over daintily in her hands. Her fingers run over the bag, tracing an outline over each chocolate, and after a moment, she lowers them into her lap and curls one of the ribbons around her finger. Her expression is so warm as she looks at them that Cassandra finds herself feeling like the air has been swept out of her lungs.

"Cassandra, they're lovely," She says with a voice full to brimming with affection, "Oh, Leliana is going to be so jealous, she _loves_ spiced chocolates."

"And you?" The words tumble from Cassandra's mouth before she can stop them, and she feels foolish as soon as they do.

Josephine looks up, still smiling but perplexed, "Hm?"

Cassandra rings her hands together nervously and clears her throat, "Do you...do _you_ like them?"

Realization dawns over Josephine's face and she beams, looking suddenly as radiant as the sun, "Oh Cassandra," She says as she reaches one hand out and lets it hover between them, "May I?"

Cassandra hesitates for a second. Her heart nearly stops in her chest as part of her balks at the idea of such open affection--holding hands is hardly a scandalous affair but this sort of romance is still new to her--but Josephine is smiling so patiently, _asking_ for her hand without pushing, without obligation, and something about that eases Cassandra's anxiety. "Of course, my lady," She says after a moment, and holds her own hand between them.

Josephine takes it gently with careful fingers, and her hands are so small and soft compared to Cassandra's. Their fingers slide together till their palms are pressed flush. Cassandra's skin feels fever hot and her heart is pounding so loudly in her ears that she's sure Josephine can hear it, but the other woman doesn't appear at all perturbed as her smile softens into something far more intimate and she gives Cassandra's hand a firm squeeze.

"I _love_ them, Cassandra," She says earnestly, "They're perfect."

The words echo another sentiment, one Cassandra's not quite sure either of them are ready for, but hearing them is like having a weight lifted off her shoulders, and Cassandra all but sags with relief.

"Thank the Maker," She breathes. She absolutely must be grinning like a fool, which should be embarrassing, but Josephine just giggles and leans further into the back of the couch, slouching in a way that would scandalize an Orlesian. It's charming, watching the airs of high society fall away, and flattering that Josephine trusts her enough to let them. It makes something warm blossom in Cassandra's chest, and, emboldened, she draws Josephine's hands closer and smiles at her, "May I?" 

Josephine's cheeks look several shades redder and her smile no less wide as she says, quietly, "Of course, my lady."

Cassandra lifts their joined hands and presses her lips gently to Josephine's knuckle. Josephine giggles again, higher this time, and the sound of it is so thrilling that Cassandra finds herself laughing, too. She feels giddy and warm, and as she watches Josephine's cheeks round out around her smile, she sends a thankful prayer to the Maker that He blessed her so for having met this woman.

And for the chocolates; those helped, too.


End file.
